Originally Posted by GrannyGear
Another thread, "Developing Spin Endurance", brought a general response that we may look like duffers but don't have to ride like 'em. In Joe Friel's book, "Cycling Past 50", he suggests that naturally declining performance with age can best be battled with intensity work--not just long, slow distance alone.
Question: How many of us never say die duffer types are including hill-repeats, intervals, racing for the city limit sign, pushing into the discomfort zone in a planned way, etc....IOW, purposefully hanging our toes on the edge of blowing up.
This has nothing to do with denying aging, pretending to be young, etc. Just being our best whatever that is, or can be, for us each.
I go out for distance riding, and the main thing about this type of riding is to save as much energy as possible for later in the ride. It is pointless racing up an early hill, just to be suffering later on. Those long hills are taken at around 90 % of my maximum heart rate, but usually finish up with reaching or exceeding my max at some point. There is no way that I can stay with the speed merchants, but then there is no way that they can do the distance rides either. Mind you, those short sharp hills of up to about 200metres are taken with a bit of aggression. There is nothing more pleasing than to get the excuse from the younger riders that they were in the wrong gear, or the gears slipped, as I beat them to the top of the rise for the 2nd time that morning. Even that takes a lot out of me, but this is not me pretending yo be young- it is my ego showing the youngsters that I still have it, occasionally.